Op-ed: IPS offers reasonable, modest referendum plan

On Election Day, voters in the Indianapolis Public Schools district will see two referendums at the top of their ballots, asking for a total of $272 million in revenue over eight years. Of that, $52 million will go to capital projects to make IPS school buildings safer and more secure.

The $220 million operating referendum has been scrutinized and scaled back, after vigorous public debate and a partnership between IPS and the Indy Chamber that took a tough look at the district’s budget and recommended hundreds of millions of dollars in cost-saving efficiencies.

This slimmed-down plan would cost the average IPS homeowner less than $5 a month, and every penny in new funding will go to pay teachers and principals more, to make IPS an employer of choice for great educators.

No one likes higher taxes. I live and do business here — leading a credit union that serves the financial needs of thousands of members across the IPS district — and I believe these referendums are essential investments in the future of Indianapolis. Here’s why I plan to ‘Vote Yes for IPS.’

IPS is improving — progress is on the ballot.

In just a few years, Superintendent Lewis Ferebee and the IPS board has reinvented a traditional “school system” to a “system of schools” that offer diverse educational options for its diverse student population. This approach has improved academic performance and increased graduation rates (up to 83 percent, from a dismal 47 percent just a decade ago).

If the operating referendum fails, IPS would be forced into budget cuts and layoffs that would jeopardize this momentum and limit opportunities for IPS families. Salary increases would be sacrificed, so turnover would continue to disrupt learning as teachers are laid off or lured away by better-paying districts.

Today’s IPS is building tomorrow’s workforce.

By the time today’s IPS freshmen graduate, 90 percent of all U.S. job openings will require at least a high school diploma; two-thirds will take education beyond 12th grade. At the same time, according to Area Development Magazine, 90 percent of surveyed corporate executives rank “skilled talent” a top priority in choosing places to invest and create jobs.

Indianapolis still lags behind many of our peer cities in educational attainment. We need IPS to continue in the right direction: improved graduation rates paired with college- and career-readiness add up to a stronger future workforce that appeals to growing employers and attracts new business opportunities.

Education provides a path out of poverty.

Behind the big picture, job market trends impact the real plight of thousands of IPS students and families. Today, more residents of Marion County live below the poverty line than ever before, with the most concentrated areas of poverty spread across the district. Study after study shows that education has the strongest positive impact on poor children leading to higher lifetime earnings.

An IPS system that provides quality education with qualified teachers is the best anti-poverty program Indianapolis can have, building a better business climate and a larger middle class.

Finally, voters can be certain the district is working smarter for its students.

To build academic progress on a sound fiscal foundation, IPS finalized an agreement with the Indy Chamber in late September to help implement its operational assessment.

The Chamber has pledged up to $1.5 million over three years to add new staff and consulting resources, to ensure that our efficiency plans actually drive cost savings. I’m proud of the Chamber’s involvement with IPS, and our long-term commitment to help our largest school district succeed.

And I hope our partnership helps voters support the operating referendum with confidence, knowing IPS is tightening its budget and driving revenue into classrooms and teacher paychecks, not administrative overhead.

In short, IPS has worked with the business community and engaged the community-at-large to offer a reasonable referendum plan — balancing its budget, protecting academic programs and paying the teachers and principals who make the biggest positive impact on schools and students. For a few dollars a month, it’s a modest cost for a major impact on upward mobility, workforce development and economic growth.

Lisa Schlehuber is CEO of Elements Financial and vice-chair of Indy Chamber.